UAE Prosecutor: Flydubai Co-Pilot Planned to Crash Plane into Tel Aviv Airport

UAE authorities reveal co-pilot's plot to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, citing 9/11 inspiration and radicalization in Australia.

Editorial Desk

October 11, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Jerusalem, Israel — A co-pilot on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was found to have planned to take control of the aircraft and crash it into the main terminal at Ben Gurion International Airport, according to UAE prosecutors.

The suspect, an Omani national identified as Hamam al-Hammami, reportedly had the intent to cause maximum casualties, as stated by the UAE’s top prosecutor. The flight, which landed in Saudi Arabia after an emergency, carried 174 passengers, most of whom were Israeli citizens.

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Hammami, who was 29 years old, admitted to acting alone and provided a detailed confession about his motives and planning. Authorities said he was influenced by the September 11, 2001 attacks and had previously flown the same route to familiarize himself with the airport layout. He was also linked to a mosque in Australia during his studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2017.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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